Recent Introductions of Parasitoids against Eldana

Early attempts at the biological control of the pyralid borer Eldana saccharina Walker were discussed in a paper presented at the Congress of the South African Sugar Technologists' Association in 1979. Since then further introductions of both egg and larval parasitoids have been made and include: Trichogrammatoidea eldanae Vigianni, Trichogramma sp and Telenomus applanatus Bin & Johnson (from West Africa); Trichogramma australicum Girault (from Taiwan); Telenomus sp (from Bolivia); Descampsina sesamiae Mesnil (from West Africa); Allorhogas sp (from Central America). An account is given of procedures, and results are discussed. Briefmention is made of the release into sugarcane fields of a parasitic bethylid wasp(Goniozus sp)which occurs naturally in indigenous Cyperaceae.